Lubricator



(NoModeL) a Shets-Sheet 2.

' W. GRIMES.

LUBRIGATOR.

No. 592,909. Patented Nov. 2, 1897..

- (G O D) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER GRIMES, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE VACUUM OIL COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NE\V YORK.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,909, dated November 2, 1897. Application filed February 24, 1896. Serial No. 580,605. (No model-l Patented in England March 3, 1894, No. 4,532.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-.

Be it known that I, WALTER GRiMEs, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Silverlands, St. Margarets,Twickenham,London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent of Great Britain, No. 4,532, dated March 3, 1894,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lubricators, oilcups, and the like, preferably of the sight-feed description, although the invention couldbe adopted without the sight-feed, if desired.

Hitherto sight-feed lubricators have been worked by condensing the steam and allowing the water thus formed to enter the oil-chamber, which by its less specific gravity floats on top of the water and is thus discharged into a pipe which takes it to the sight-feed glass, whence it passes out of the apparatus.

In this improved invention I do not depend upon the water of condensation for causing the discharge of the oil, although condensed water collects in the oil vessel and the sightfeed tube.

In carrying out this invention I use any suitable form of oil container or cistern, preferably provided with filling and discharge openings which can be closed by screwed valves and the like and having a sight-feed tube arranged more or less in the usual manner. To the interior of the oi1-cup I supply steam through a suitable pipe or opening at or near the bottom of the cup. This steam condenses, forming water upon which the oil floats in the usual manner. Near the top of the cup inside is a pipe or orifice through which the oil is drawn on? to the sight-feed tube, preferably to the bottom thereof, the oil floating up in drops through the water in the usual manner. The top of the sight-feed tube is connected by suitable passages with the discharge-orifice. I prefer to insert in the entrance and discharge canals the plug of a cock bored with a simple throughway for the entrance-canal and partly through for the discharge-canal, this partial boring or port being preferably connected with an axial hole formed in the end of the plug and communicating with the discharge-orifice. From the inlet-port to the outlet-port I form a preferably diagonal portwhich conveys steam to the discharge-orifice.

In operationsteam passes through the cock 5 5 to the discharge-orifice and, acting like an injector sucks the oil from the oil-cup and through the sight-feed tube, if this be used, forcing it along the discharge-orifice, as will be well understood. By this means I am able to use not merely the ordinary fluid oils which are employed with other sight-feed lubricators, but I can use solid fats, tallow, yellow grease,and the like,which cannot be done with the ordinary arrangements. 6

Another advantage of this cup is that when 'allthe oil has been drawn out of it I can, if

desired, draw out the water as well and thus wash out the sight-feed glass, the suction of the steam being sufficient to accomplish this.

Although I have so far described this invention as appertaining to a single lubricator, I can apply it to two or more either with a single oil-cup or with more than one oilcup and with any desired'number of sighttubes, the necessary channels being provided for the purpose. In another arrangement I may instead of introducing the steam to the cock at the side and discharging it through the end reverse this arrangement and introduce the steam in the'axial line of the plug and discharge it by one or more passages through the side or wall of the cock.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are vertical sections of a sight-feed lubricator constructed according to this invention, taken, respectively, on lines 1 1 and 2 2 of Fig. 3, which latter figure is a horizontal section taken on the crooked line 3 3 of Fig. 2. v

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings. p Ais the oil container or reservoir, provided with a cup A and removable plugB at its upper end to enable it to be filled with lubricant, 5 with a valve 0 to admit of the reservoir being emptied, and with a flange A whereby the lubricator may be secured to a suitable support, all of these parts being of any of the usual constructions.

In connection with the upper part of the reservoir A, I provide the cock-body D, in

IOO

- tion.

which the cock-plug E may be turned for bringing the lubricator into or out of opera- The cock-plug E is provided with one main port E, which when the lubricator is to be rendered operative is brought into coincidence with the divided passage 1) of the cock-body D, so as through the pipe F to place the steam-inlet Gin direct communication with the lower part of the reservoir A.

II is a pipe whose mouth or open end is located at the upper part of the reservoir A and which at the lower part of the latter is secured to the sight-feed device I. This device may comprise a spindle-valve I, oil-delivering nozzle 1 and sight-feed glass I and may be otherwise of the usual construction. At its upper part the sight-feed device I through the discharging end or nozzle I thereof communicates with a passage A in the wall of the reservoir A. This passage A communicates with a port D in the cockbody D, and this port when the cock-plug E is in the last-named position communicates through ports E E in said plug E with the lubricator-outlet J, which in any convenient manner is connected to the part at which the lubricant is to be delivered.

E is an inclined port in the cock-plug E, leading from the main port E to the ports E E preferably joining the latter at their point of junction It will be noticed that the upper end of the pipe II is substantially on a level with the discharging-duct I' from the upper end of the sight-feed glass and is slightly higher than the lowest side of the passage A There is therefore a hydrostatic (or in this case an oleosta-tic) balance in the pipe H and sightfeed glass 1 for easy passage of the oil into the passage A It will also be seen that the steam-inlet consists in part of the pipe F, which is in the reservoir and leads from above the lubricant- 'level at which the lubricant flows naturally into the open end of the pipe II, and that the upper end of the pipe H being the lubricantoutlet determines the lubricant-level in the reservoir.

It is also noticeable that the ports in the cock-plug which govern the steam-inlet and one of the lubricant-ducts, together with the inclined (luct in said cock-plug connecting the said ports, constitute a positively-acting ejector for lifting its contents from the reservoir and for ejecting them into the lubricantoutlet. This combination of mechanisms constitutes a means for the easy ejection of oil of any kind, and particularly for heavy oils and greases which have to be melted and kept fluid in the reservoir.

The operation of the before-described apparatus is as follows: IVhen the cock-plug E is turned into its closed position-that is, say forty-five degrees or less from the position in which it is shown in the drawingsthe plug B may be removed from the upper end of the reservoir A, and the latter may thus be filled with the necessary lubricant, after which the plug B is again replaced and screwed tightly home. The cock-plug E is then turned on, so that steam is admitted and condenses in the reservoir A, the result being that the lubricant floating on the water flows down the tube II and past the previously-opened valve I to the sight-feed device I, the glass tube I of which is also filled with water, as in the ordinary working of such devices. The valve I is opened only sufficiently to admit of the oil passing through slowly say at the rate of from one to three drops per minute. The oil then flows 'in drops upward through the water in I successively through the passages and ports 1 A D, E and E to the outlet J, the steam flowing through the port E meeting the oil at the point E and driving it onward and accompanying it to its ultimate destination. The steam in passing through the port E not only serves to drive the lubricant out through the outlet J, but by being delivered at an angle in relation to the port E serves to draw or suck the lubricant out of the reservoir A, which constitutes a provision admitting of the use of solid fats, tallow, yellow grease, and the like, as Well as fluid oils, such as can only be used in sightfeed lubricators as ordinarily constructed.

It will be noticed that the steam is fed through the pipe I downward through the lubricant to near the bottom of the reservoir A and condenses in said reservoir, while the uncondensed steam rises through the water and through the lubricant to the top of the reservoir into the space above the level of the upper end of the pipe II.

It is further noticeable that in prior devices the oil is lifted to the discharge-duct only by floating upon the water in the reservoir and then merely overflows from the reservoir to the outlet, while in my present device the ejector, formed by the passages or ducts E E E sucks the lubricant from the reservoir and forces it onward to the parts to be lubricated. The steam in entering my device is therefore fed downward through the reservoir and its contents and escapes into the water in the reservoir at or near the bottom thereof, while the oil is fed downward from the top of the reservoir, thence through a sight-feed device, through which the flow is upward, and thence out from the lubricator to the parts to be lubricated. The oil being sucked from the reservoir is forced onward by the direct action of the steam through the ports or passages E E and through the contracted end of the passage J. The regulating-valve I is entirely independent of the cock-plug E, and the adj ustment of the flow of oil is not in any way modified by shutting off the lubricator from its steam connection, except in so far as this flow may be modified by adjusting the cockplug E, whereby the inflow of steam and the outflow of oil mixed with steam may be changed by movement of the single handle of said cock-plug. In addition the engine cannot be started by the passage of steam through the lubricator after the lubricator is shut off.

The before-described apparatus may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although I pre fer to employ the previously-descri bed cockplug E, this may be dispensed with and the parts or connections between the various passages or ports may be formed in solid metal, if desired, or separate tubes orpassages may be employed for this purpose, simple cocks serving to turn the steam on or off and control the passages. An entirely separate steam-supply and ejector may be used for sucking out the lubricant from the reservoir A and delivering it to the part to be lubricated.

The before-described ejecting device may be applied to other than sight-feed lubricators.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, in a lubricator, of a reservoir for lubricant and water, a steam-inlct consisting in part of a pipe in said reservoir leading from above the lubricant-level to the lower part of said reservoir for conducting live'steam thereto without passage through a condenser, a lubricant-outlet, a 111- bricant-duct determining the lubricant-level in said reservoir and leading from the upper part of said reservoir to and through an upward-flow sight-feed device, a duct substantially on a level with the upper end of the lubricant-duct in said reservoir leadingfrom the upper end of said sight-feed device to a second lubricant-duct, a cock-plug having separate ports governing said steam-inlet and said second lubricant-duct, a duct in said cock-plug connecting said two ports, and a passage in said cock-plug connecting said lastmentioned duct with said lubricant-outlet, said ports, said last-mentioned duct, and said passage constituting a positively acting ejector forlifting its contents from the reservoir and for ejecting them into the lubricant-outlet.

2. The combination, in a lubricator, of a and water, a steam-in reservoir for lubricant let consisting in part, of a pipe within the reservoir leading from above the lubricantlevel to the lower part of said reservoir for conducting live steam thereto without passage through a condenser, a lubricant-outlet, a lubricant-duct determining the lubricantlevel and leading downward from the upper part of said reservoir to and through a sightfeed device and to the level of the upper end of said duct within the reservoir, a cock-plug having separate ports governing said steaminlet and said lubricant-duct, a duct in said cock-plug having two ports, one of which has direct connection with the steam-supply at full pressure and the other of which connects with said lubricant-duct, a duct in said cockplug connecting said two ports and a passage in said cock-plug connecting said last-mentioned duct with said lubricant-outlet.

3. The combination, in a lubricator, of a reservoir A for lubricant and Water, a steaminlet consisting of a duct D and a pipe F situated in said reservoir and connecting said duct with the lower part of said reservoir for conducting live steam therethrough without passage through a condenser, a lubricant-outlet J, a lubricant-pipe H in said reservoir determining the lubricantlevel therein and leading from the upper part thereof downward and to and through an upward-flow sight-feed device I, a second lubricant-duct A leading from the upper end of said sightfeed device and from substantially the level of the upper end of said pipe H downward to a continuation D thereof, a cock-plug E having a port E governing the steam-inlet, a port E governing the lubricant-duct in said cockplug, an inclined duct E in said cock-plug connecting said port E with said port E and a duct E in said cock-plug connecting said ducts E, E and E with the lubricant-outlet J, the said ducts in said cock-plug constituting apositively-acting ejector for lifting its contents from the reservoir and for ejecting them into the lubricant-outlet.

' WALTER GRIMES.

Witnesses:

THOMAS T. ROGERS, H. DENTON JAMESON. 

